OTC 84

Innovative approaches to deepwater drilling and production, the role of government regulations in promoting offshore safety, breakthroughs in seismic surveying, and coping with ice forces in arctic construction are just a few of the topics that offshore experts will address during the 1984 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) May 7—9 at Houston's Astrohall.

Offshore engineers, scientists, and managers from around the world will attend the meeting for three days of high-level discus- 70 sions and technical presentations.

Now in its, 16th year, OTC is the leading worldwide forum for exchange of technical information related to ocean resources development and the environment.

These luncheons are designed to stimulate an open exchange of views among those who attend.

The technical program will include almost 200 papers focusing on case studies of major offshore developments, new drilling and producing technologies, arctic operations, diving support, ocean mining, geological and geophysical advances, the environment, and special topics. Sessions of particular interest will feature discussions of Exxon's Lena Guyed Tower, an innovative deepwater platform in the Gulf of Mexico; Shell's record water-depth well; and floating production facilities.

The OTC Awards Luncheon on Monday, May 7, will honor outstanding technical achievements by an individual and an organization in the offshore industry. Recipients are Ronald L. Geer, a pioneer in floating and subsea completion technology, and Exxon Company U.S.A., cited for design and installation of the Lena Guyed Tower.

There will be no exhibition at the 1984 OTC. The 1985 OTC will return to the conference and exhibition format.

OTC is sponsored jointly each year by 11 of the world's most prominent engineering and scientific societies with a combined membership of more than 500,000.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers, headquartered in Dallas, is the managing group for OTC.

Technical Program The Program Committee has chosen almost 200 technical papers from 537 abstracts received last year. Authors will present these papers in 35 sessions Monday through Wednesday, May 7—9, in the Astrohall.

"The abstracts we received for this year's meeting have better technical quality and less commercial flair than many we have received in the past," said Brian J.

Watt of Brian Watt Associates in Houston, chairman of the Program Committee. The papers come from around the world, with particularly strong representation from the U.S., Canada, and Japan, and contributions from the U.K., Norway, and other North Sea countries.

Mr. Watt said the committee recognized its responsibility for success of the 1984 OTC, as the meeting does not include a technical exhibition this year. "We have emphasized coherence and currency on major subjects," he said.

The committee strove to make the 1984 program especially relevant by organizing special ses- sions on significant current issues, including sessions on the Lena Guyed Tower, the Deepwater Well, Floating Production Systems, Limited Driving Force in Ice, and High-Resolution Geophysics. Committee members actively solicited specific authors and papers in those areas. "Our work was active, not reactive," Mr. Watt said. "This insures that the program will cover the topics that the offshore industry most wants to hear about." Other program topics include offshore pipelines, platform dynamics and construction, diver support systems, arctic drilling, mooring and anchoring, seafloor processes, ocean mining, and environmental concerns.

The Program Committee also organized the Topical Luncheons that are an innovative feature of the 1984 OTC. Mr. Watt explained: "We asked the luncheon speakers to look into the future and to speculate on where we go from here. We're looking for opinions as much as facts—we want controversy on an informed level." The Topical Luncheons Speakers at four Topical Luncheons May 8 and 9 will address key technical and regulatory issues now facing the offshore industry.

These luncheons have been designed to encourage the exchange of information among the engineers, scientists, and managers who attend OTC seeking the solutions to current technical problems.

Each of the luncheons will include a question and answer period after the keynote speech.

Two luncheons are scheduled for May 8. At the Shamrock Hilton Hotel, Carl Wickizer, engineering manager with Shell Offshore Inc., will discuss "Shell's Exploratory Well in 6,448 Feet of Water on the U.S. Atlantic Coast." Shell drilled this well in a record water depth offshore New Jersey during late 1983. Mr. Wickizer will present an overview of the deep water drillings project including planning, special requirements, and problems encountered.

"Does Regulation Promote Offshore Safety?" Capt. Thomas Tutwiler of the U.S. Coast Guard will address this question at the Astro Village Hotel luncheon. He will discuss how offshore casualties have influenced government regulatory programs.

The luncheons on May 9 will focus on frontier offshore oil and gas production. At the Astro Village Hotel, four industry leaders will examine "Design Considerations in the Transition From Fixed to Floating Platforms." Panelists will be Joe W. Key, president of Key Ocean Services (moderator); Alan C. McClure, president of Alan C.

McClure Associates Inc.; Jay B.

Weidler, senior vice president of Brown & Root Inc.; and Andrew F. Hunter, supervising marine engineer with Conoco Inc. They will cover technical, economic, and regulatory problems related to innovative concepts such as the guyed tower, tension-leg platform, floating systems, and special support equipment.

Also on May 9, at the Marriott Astrodome Hotel, Christopher Fay, director of exploration and production with AS Norske Shell, will speak on "Frontier Hydrocarbon Production: Commercial Development in the Troll Field." He will describe technical innovations needed to produce oil and gas in deep waters and hostile ocean environments, using as an example Shell's Troll field in more than 1,000 feet of water offshore Norway.

In addition to the Topical Luncheons, OTC will hold Roundtable Luncheons in the Astrohall Ballroom May 8 and 9. These luncheons will allow OTC registrants to share information informally on topics covered in the technical sessions.

The Awards Luncheon Ronald L. Geer and Exxon Company U.S.A. have been named recipients of the 1984 OTC Distinguished Achievement Awards.

These awards represent the highest honor conferred by the offshore community. They will be presented at the annual Awards Luncheon on May 7.

Mr. Geer, senior mechanical engineering consultant with Shell Oil Company in Houston, will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals for his pioneering achievements in floating drilling and subsea completion technology over the past 25 years.

He was responsible for the first re- mote-controlled subsea well completion in the open sea in 1960. He helped prove the semi-submersible drilling rig concept by leading the design group that converted an existing bottom-supported drilling barge into the first semi-submersible, Blue Water I, in 1962. Mr.

Geer also is recognized for fostering a cooperative spirit among industry, government, and the scientific community.

Exxon will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award for Organizations for the design and installation of the Lena Guyed Tower, the world's first commercial guyed-tower drilling and production platform and the focus of two 1984 OTC technical sessions.

This structure was installed in 1,000 feet of water on Exxon's Lena prospect in the Gulf of Mexico in 1983. The platform concept— product of 12 years of research, testing, and design—and the innovative equipment and construction methods used for installation are major contributions to deepwater construction technology.

The Deep Water Well OTC 4746 A Record Deepwater Drilling Program 4747 Geological Hazard Surveying in Water Depths of 2,000 Meters 4749 Improving Dynamic Positioning Performance in the Deepwater, High-Current, Rough Water Environment 4750 Marine Riser System for 7,500-Ft.